LYNCH
Translated By Aaron Coleman
Lynch from Alabama.
Tailpiece in the form of a whip
and three-pointed hooves.
Tends to appear
with a great cross in flames.
Feeds on Black people, ropes,
fire, blood, nails,
tar.
Captured
close to a hanging. Male.
Castrated.
Translated from the Spanish
Notes:
This poem is part of the portfolio “Nicolás Guillén: Maker and Breaker of Forms.” You can read the rest of the portfolio in the September 2024 issue. The poems in this folio come from The Great Zoo by Nicolás Guillén, translated by Aaron Coleman (University of Chicago Press, 2024). El Gran Zoo © 2023 by Nicolás Guillén, first published in 1967. Translation © 2024 by Aaron Coleman. Reprinted by permission of the University of Chicago Press and the Estate of Nicolás Guillén. All rights reserved.
Source: Poetry (September 2024)